The Brainerd Lakes Real Estate Blog

Helping make real estate dreams come true   By using gas and electric stoves more effectively, you can save an average of $30 per year. Image: Electrolux Spending less money on utility bills doesn’t mean you need to rush out and purchase a whole new suite of Energy Star appliances. With occasional light maintenance and good habits, you can greatly improve the energy efficiency of your large kitchen appliances—up to about $120 annually—without sacrificing convenience. Refrigerator/freezer Energy-efficiency experts tell us to focus our efforts on the biggest energy hogs in the house, and that ...

Keller Williams Family Group News | LinkedIn "Mortgage lenders are apparently being swamped by the demand for homebuyers to close on their home loan by June 30th, which is the current expiration date of the home buyer tax credit. Therefore, the U.S. Senate has voted for a proposal that would extend the tax credit again. Usually, it wouldn't take over two months to close on a home loan. But, it's not normal circumstances right now. In today's world of mortgage finance, every bit of the home buyers information has to be verified and reverified and the home valuation code of conduct is also having to be adhered to by appraisers. Therefore, it's taking much longer to close and time gets stretched out. According to the National Association of Realtors®, there are 180,000 buyers who made the April 30th deadline to have their valid contracts signed. However, without another tax extension, many would not make the last deadline to close by June 30th. So, through...

Staging Homes to Appeal to First Time Buyers Helping make real estate dreams come true Thanks to TurquoiseDecor for this article We all know that staging a home for sale means turning it into a product that will appeal to the largest cross-section of potential buyers out there. However, stagers are well-advised to bear in mind the likely demographic of potential buyers for a given property. For instance, recently the market was stimulated by the availability of the increased first-time home buyer’s tax credit. Homes of a size and location likely to appeal to first-time buyers need to be staged to appeal specifically to this group of people. Typically, who are first-time home buyers? Usually they are younger singles or couples – often with, or considering, a young family. In order to appeal to first-time buyers, sellers need pander to younger, more modern tastes. The best way to go is fresh, clean, and contemporary. Aside from the usual de-cluttering and thorough cle...

Helping make real estate dreams come true!   from the Real Simple magazine Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:  Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist  Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!

Helping make real estate dreams come true! Add a Touch of Video to Your Existing Marketing Plan By Stephanie Andre RISMEDIA, May 15, 2010—The world of video can be a scary beast when you first start. Where do you begin? How long should the video be? What should it cover? The key is to use what you already have. Here are four key tips, courtesy of VScreen’s Stephen Schweickart: (1) Don’t reinvent the wheel . Many firms have well-established marketing plans that may have taken considerable time and effort to implement. Show the boss how you can take what you are currently doing…and do it better with video. The addition of video can be all about enhancement of existing strategies… and reaching goals more quickly and effectively. (2) Take small steps. Perhaps your current marketing plan makes use of written testimonials. Consider expanding their impact by filming a few of them. After all, enthusiasm is contagious…and what better way to share emotion than with video? An...

Helping make real estate dreams come true    ~a Living Room with flair~ How to Add Zest to a Living Room It is easy to add zest and zing to a living room. The easiest way to update a room is by changing the wall colors with new paint or wallpaper. There are also many artistic ways to blend the colors to achieve unusual drama in a room, such as layering a shimmery color over a base color. Other ways to add zest to a living room include adding live flowers, photos, crystal vases, chandeliers or pillows and fabric accents in jewel tones.  ehow Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact: ...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Via J. Philip Faranda Here are a few things home buyers can do to ensure that they get the most from an agent. Get pre-approved . I shouldn't have to explain this. The housing industry has been bent like a pipe cleaner the past 18 months. A pre approval older than 90 days is worthless, and no pre-approval disqualifies you from being taken seriously by a seller. . It takes 10 minutes to speak with a lender and get a free updated pre-approval that shows you are ready, willing and able buyers. Practice monogamy . Often in New York, some buyers think that they can get a batter deal if they work with more than 1 agent or deal directly with listing agents. Both of these notions are not only false, they can be expensive mistakes. If your agent catches on to the fact that you are playing the field, he'll start hedging his bets also, because nobody wants to devote time to a buyer file that might not close because you are looking in anothe...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Do our current low interest rates really make it a good time to buy a house? First, take a look at what happens to monthly payments when interest rates go up. When interest rates go from 5 to 10% what happens? A 5%   30 year $100k mortgage will cost $536.82 monthly A 6%   30 year $100k mortgage will cost $599.55 monthly A 7%   30 year $100k mortgage will cost $665.30 monthly A 10% 30 year $100k mortgage will cost $877.57 monthly  That is NOT including taxes, insurance, or anything but the mortgage itself. As far as buying ability is concerned :compared to a 5% interest rate a 6% interest rate   drops the effective buying ability by 10% and a 7% interest  rate drops buying ability by about  24%. There is a very large amount of buying ability taken away by a small 2% increase in interest rates.    Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans...

Helping make real estate dreams come true   RISMEDIA, January 7, 2010—As we begin 2010, both real estate professionals and home buyers have something to look forward to and more importantly, take advantage of—the extended and expanded home buyer tax credit. Originally created in 2008, the home-buyer tax credit has evolved from a $7,500 credit, which had to be repaid by the home buyer over the course of 15 years, to an $8,000 tax credit with no repayment required in 2009. Now, for a limited time in 2010, the $8,000 home buyer tax credit will still be available to first-time home buyers and certain current homeowners will also be eligible for a $6,500 credit. To help everyone better understand the extended and expanded home buyer tax credit, here are some highlights of the changes. Who can claim the credit? “First-time home buyers” who purchase homes between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010 are eligible for the credit. To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the...

Helping make real estate dreams come true posted by Jon Lansner Developer Emaar, the real estate giant from Dubai, officially opened the largest building in the world today! Associated Press reports … Dubai opened the world’s tallest skyscraper today, and in a surprise move renamed the gleaming glass-and-metal tower Burj Khalifa in a nod to the leader of neighboring Abu Dhabi — the oil-rich sheikdom which came to its rescue during the financial meltdown. A lavish presentation witnessed by Dubai’s ruler and thousands of onlookers at the base of the tower said the building was 828 meters, or 2717 feet, tall. Dubai is opening the tower in the midst of a deep financial crisis. Its oil rich neighbor Abu Dhabi has pumped billions of dollars in bailout funds into the emirate as it struggles to pay its debts. Let’s hope Emaar does better at high rises in its own neighborhood than it did on investing in U.S. real estate. Emaar lost $1.6 billion buying Orange County homebui...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Here is a very insightful and different perspective on the housing reform: By: Peter S. Goodman The New York Times The Obama administration’s $75 billion program to protect homeowners from foreclosure has been widely pronounced a disappointment, and some economists and real estate experts now contend it has done more harm than good. Since President Obama announced the program in February, it has lowered mortgage payments on a trial basis for hundreds of thousands of people but has largely failed to provide permanent relief. Critics increasingly argue that the program, Making Home Affordable, has raised false hopes among people who simply cannot afford their homes. As a result, desperate homeowners have sent payments to banks in often-futile efforts to keep their homes, which some see as wasting dollars they could have saved in preparation for moving to cheaper rental residences. Some borrowers have seen their credit tarnished wh...

Helping make real estate dreams come true   Take a minute to reflect on all the new skills and ideas you learned in 2009. Think of the books you read, the documentaries you watched, the people you spoke to. Now ... what did you do with all of that new knowledge? Did you use it to grow as a person, better your life, or make a difference in the world? Yes, you must learn. But more importantly - you must apply what you learn.  Debbie Paschall Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:  Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist  Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!

Helping make real estate dreams come true  Scam Alert The National Association of REALTORS® has learned that its good name is being used as part of a property rental scam. In this scam, rental property is offered to consumers, who are led to believe that NAR is functioning as an intermediary to receive rental deposits from prospective tenants and, upon receipt of the deposit, to deliver the keys to the property to the tenant. The tenant is instructed to send money via Western Union to NAR's purported agent. NAR is not involved in this business and believes it is a scam. NAR has contacted law enforcement officials to request that the matter be investigated. If you have encountered this scam, be advised you may file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center. Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk aw...

Helping make real estate dreams come true  I am sniffling and sneezing and so are other members in my household but there are differences.  Although a bit tired (probably from lack of sleep) I feel just fine - the others are miserable with higher temps, lethargy, aches and a great desire to sleep (ok I have that too!) The possible culprits are allergies, sinusitis, cold or the flu. Here is some great information from About.com on sorting out an allergy from sinusitis. With allergy season upon us, it's important to take a look at whether you may be suffering from allergies, or a sinus infection. Ah choo! It's allergy season and it seems like everyone is suffering from a runny or stuffed nose. In fact, a recent survey found that almost 40 percent of American consumers feel just like Snow White's friend, Sneezy, this time of year. But is it really allergies that are making them feel so "sneezy" or something else, like a full blown sinus infection? Each year, ...

Helping make real estate dreams come true GLAR Market Update for November 2009 The passing of the home-buyer tax credit's intitial expiration date hasn't yet slowed the urgency of home buyers in the Greater Lakes region, as November saw a continuation of the strong sales we've seen in previous months. There were 245 closed sales during the month, up 59.6 percent from a year ago. New Listings were also up 18.7 percent. The Median Sales Price for the month was $134,850, dipping 3.0 percent from the same month last year. Year to date, the median sales price has fallen 9.9 percent from a year ago. Falling prices have combined with still-low mortgage rates to create a favorable affordability picture. Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy ...

Helping make real estate dreams come true When a Home is Listed for Sale , the Buyers will most likely hire their own Home Inspector before closing to check on all of the  key components of the home.  However, if you are a Seller it might be prudent to hire a Home Inspector to avoid possible problems in the transaction.  Not all Home Inspectors will have the  exact same opinion of course, but being proactive will prevent problems down the line after the purchase agreement.  The property can be advertised as pre-inspected and the inspection booklet proudly displayed  at the property. Taking the extra measure of being aware, may just be the ticket to a smooth transaction.   Even if you are not thinking of buying or selling, keep your family safe. In the Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota inspections are running from $325 to $350. We have several great inspectors who know their craft and provide detailed reports. Thinking of sell...

     A very talented artist for several years has painted ornaments to be hung on the various White House Christmas trees . The WH sends out an invitation to send an ornament and informs the artists of the theme for the year.  She got her letter from the WH recently. It said that they would not be called Christmas trees this year. They will be called Holiday trees . And, to please not send any ornaments painted with a religious theme.     She was very upset at this development and sent back a reply telling them that she painted the ornaments for Christmas trees and would not be sending any for display that left Christ out of Christmas.   Just thought you should know what the new residents in the WH plan for the future of America . If you missed his statement that "we do not consider ourselves a Christian Nation" this should confirm that he plans to take us away from our religious foundation as quickly as possible. ...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Don't walk away, there is help and there is hope. A loan modification or a short sale may be what you need. Call or email today! KLordbock@kw.com Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Short Sale & Staging Specialist 218-829-0339 218-831-8001

Helping make real estate dreams come true

 If a toy or pieces of a toy passes through a standard cardboard toilet paper roll - do not buy it for a child that still puts everything in their mouth. Also if an older sibling get a toy with small parts, restrict access to them and be very cautious about "left behind" toys. photo by Flickr Keep them safe! Helping make real estate dreams come true